The document emphasizes the vital role of sacred art in educating viewers about Catholic doctrine and inspiring faith, arguing that art can reveal the beauty of God and elevate human experience. Pope John Paul II's teachings highlight how art serves to communicate spiritual truths and enhance religious practice through reflection and symbolism. The document also outlines practical ways to integrate art into the teaching of the Catholic faith, suggesting that beauty should be a cornerstone of evangelization.

3. •LETTER TO
ARTISTS, 1999

4. •VIA
PULCHRITUDINIS
2006
PONTIFICAL COUNCIL
FOR CULTURE

5. the primary goal of
sacred art is to
educate the viewer
and teach Catholic
doctrine

6. Most art was made for
religious purposes.
Paintings and sculptures
were placed in churches
to help teach people who
could not read.

7. Cathedral of Brasília, Brazil

8. Church of the Assumption, Lake Bled, Slovenia

9. Church of the Transfiguration, Kizhi Island,
Russia

10. Hallgrímskirkja, Reykjavík, Iceland

11. “In order to communicate the
message entrusted to her by Christ,
the Church needs art. Art must make
perceptible, and as far as possible
attractive, the world of the spirit, of
the invisible, of God.”
Pope Saint John Paul II

12. La Sagrada Família, Barcelona, Spain

14. Las Lajas Sanctuary, Nariño, Colombia

16. Duomo di Milano, Italy

17. Notre-Dame Basilica, Montreal, Canada

18. Basilique du Sacré-Coeur, Paris, France

19. St. Basil's Cathedral, Moscow, Russia

20. St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York City

21. The Pilgrimage Church of Wies, Steingaden, Germany

29. The arts may
offer a chance to
reflect, to feel
uplifted and be
happy, and to
bring something
intellectually or
spiritually
nourishing into
our lives.

30. Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence,
Italy

31. glimpse
of the
sublime

36. St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City

37. In all senses of the word, art is
powerful. It connects us with
the true beauty of God himself.

38. Through our experience
with beauty through art,
then, the goodness of
God is revealed to us,
and we can be brought
into an even greater
awareness of His
goodness.

44. GRANDEUR OF THE DIVINE

45. While the Protestants harshly criticized
the cult of images, the Catholic Church
ardently embraced the religious power
of art. ...
In order to be effective in its pastoral
role, religious art had to be clear,
persuasive, and powerful. Not only did
it have to instruct, it had to inspire.

52. The arts have always
been integral to
religion. ... The arts in
traditional cultures
transmit the central
beliefs and values of
those cultures, and
those beliefs and
values have a strong
religious or spiritual
dimension.

53. ALL FORMS OF PROTESTANTISM
SHOWED A DEGREE OF HOSTILITY
TO RELIGIOUS IMAGES,
ESPECIALLY SCULPTURE AND
LARGE PAINTINGS, CONSIDERING
THEM FORMS OF IDOL WORSHIP.

57. “Authentic Christian art is that which, through
sensible perception, gives the intuition that the
Lord is present in his Church, that the events of
salvation history give meaning and orientation to
our life, that the glory that is promised us already
transforms our existence. Sacred art must tend to
offer us a visual synthesis of all dimensions of our
faith”
Pope John Paul II, Veneration of Holy Images, no. 11

58. Ten Tips on how to use
art to enrich our
teaching of the Catholic
faith:

59. 1. Start with
Sacred Art

61. 2. Use Art to
Tell Bible
Stories

64. 3. Incorporate
Symbolism

66. 4. Discuss the
Lives of Saints
through Art

68. 5. Encourage
Reflection
through
Meditation on Art

70. 6. Connect
Art to Liturgy

72. 7. Inspire
Creativity in
Students

74. 8. Use
Different Art
Forms

75. GREGORIAN CHANTS
SCULPTURES
ARCHITECTURE
PAINTINGS

78. 9. Leverage
Technology for
Art Exploration

81. 10. Highlight
Beauty as a
Reflection of God

82. The universal
language of beauty
to make the Catholic
faith more tangible
and inspiring

83. A Method
of Visio
Divina

84. Pray in quiet
with your
eyes closed.
Bring yourself
towards
stillness.

85. Gaze at the image.
Let your eyes rest
on the characters
and objects. Note
your feelings as you
examine the whole
and parts of the
work.
TRANSFIGURATION
By Raphael Sanzio

86. Read or listen to
accounts of the
events. They might
be scripture,
insights into the
work, guided
meditation.
CHRIST CRUCIFIED
By Velazquez

87. Imagine that you
are in this
scene. What do
you see from your
vantage point?
What you hear?
smell? sense?
THE ADORATION OF
THE SHEPHERDS
By El Greco

88. How is the
sacred
present to you
in this
experience? THE TEARS OF
ST. PETER
By El Greco

89. How is the
sacred
present to you
in this
experience?

90. SORROW OF
LOVE

91. How does
this Visio
Divina relate
to your
life now?

92. RESOLUTIONS
OF LOVE

93. CHRIST OF ST. JOHN
OF THE CROSS
By Dali

94. THE DESCENT FROM
THE CROSS
By Van der Weyden

95. What
insight from
this experience
do you want to
retain? How will
you do that?
THE IMMACULATE
CONCEPTION
By Murillo

96. THE CORONATION
OF THE VIRGIN
By Velazquez

97. Complete the
Visio Divina by
offering
a prayer of
thanksgiving.

99. THE RETURN OF
THE PRODIGAL SON
By Rembrandt

102. Beauty can bring
people to their
senses, make them
see what is true and
good.

103. THE
ANNUNCIATION
By Fra Angelico

107. Beauty has a powerful
evangelizing effect—
and, especially today,
beauty should be a
starting point for
evangelization.

108. Argumentation, logical
demonstrations, and
reason don’t seem to
mean as much as they
used to.

109. THE ENTOMBMENT
OF CHRIST
By Caravaggio

113. This painting awakened the faithful, made the
Gospel seem close to everyday life, pointed towards
the supernatural, illustrated the Real Presence of the
Body of Christ in the Eucharist, and demanded the
participation of the clergy in the sacrament.
Striking, instructive, imaginative and persuasive!

114. “‘Beauty will save
the world,’
because this
beauty is Christ,
the only beauty
that defies evil,
and triumphs over
death.”

115. “By love, the “most beautiful of the children of
men” became “the man of sorrows”, “without
beauty, without majesty no looks to attract
our eyes” (Is, 53, 2) and so he rendered to
man, to each and every man the fullness of
His beauty, His dignity and His true grandeur”.